What Happened To DSA?

Directed self-assembly (DSA) was until recently a rising star in the next-generation lithography (NGL) landscape, but the technology has recently lost some of its luster, if not its momentum.

So what happened? Nearly five years ago, an obscure patterning technology called DSA burst onto the scene and began to generate momentum in the industry.

At about that time, GlobalFoundries, Intel, Micron, Samsung and TSMC began to explore DSA in the lab, and for good reason. DSA, an alternative patterning scheme based on block copolymers, promised to solve many of the cost and complexity woes in advanced lithography.